


Sleeping habits

by Mala_Fire_Bringer



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Fluff and Angst, Jedi, M/M, Sleep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-26
Updated: 2017-03-26
Packaged: 2018-10-11 06:34:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10457622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mala_Fire_Bringer/pseuds/Mala_Fire_Bringer
Summary: In which Anakin & Obi-Wan share a bed quite frequently and they both pretend that it has nothing to do with attachments.-disclaimer #1 I'm shit at writing summaries-disclaimer #2 english is not my native language, please don't murder me





	

Everyone was quite used to the two jedi sharing their chambers. It’s normal that when a master takes a padawan under their wing, they always live in a shared apartment of sorts, in the temple on Coruscant. Two bedrooms, living space, bathroom and a small kitchen. Always close to each other. And it was exactly the same for Anakin and Obi-Wan. At first they weren't very close. The padawan missed his mother,and was starved for affection and closeness. He was constantly scared, of not being good enough, of the life in the temple, of the Jedi masters, who always judged him, looked at him as if there was something different and wrong about him. They always reprimanded him for his fear and anger, so he stopped showing it. He didn't know what to think about his master, who was never mean or cruel to him, but cold and distant. Anakin felt like a burden, he knew that master Kenobi didn’t choose to train him of his own free will . What he didn't know was how the Jedi felt. After the death of Qui-Gon Jinn , Obi-Wan was completely devastated. The sight of his master being struck down by the Sith, the memory of holding him in his arms as he was dying, haunted Obi-Wan. But the thing that scared him the most was the rage that filled his veins, the fury he felt while fighting Maul. Now ke knew that back then he was balancing on the thin line between Light and Darkness, that he let himself fall just a little bit, just for a second, but he felt so guilty about it, and scared of himself too. He had no idea how to move on, but he knew that this wasn't the jedi way, so he tried to conceal his feelings. His grief was crushing him, and so was the guilt he felt because of it. He felt too young, too inexperienced to be knighted. He definitely wasn't ready to have a padawan. But Anakin becoming a Jedi, was his master's last wish, he couldn't just say no and leave the boy on the mercy of the Council. His master thought the young boy to be the Chosen One, Obi-Wan wasn’t sure if he believed that, he wasn’t sure if he even believed in the existence of one person, that would save them all. He knew that this boy was special, very powerful, but also so full of emotions, of sadness and fear, and Obi-Wan had no idea how to deal with him. Even though everyone always considered Obi-Wan to be a great speaker, a diplomat, he didn't know how to approach his apprentice, how to comfort him. If he couldn't even deal with his own anguish, how could he help his young disciple? So they kept dancing around each other, always very official towards themselves, polite but nothing more. Their training bond was weak, as if even the Force had no idea how to handle them. 

Everything changed one night, about four months after the padawan’s arrival in the temple. Anakin lied awake in his bed, after a particularly bad day of his studies. He was restless, shifting his position every five minutes, unable to calm his mind, scared of sleeping, of his nightmares. And that’s when he felt the disturbance in the Force. Afterwards he couldn’t describe it. It just felt wrong. Normally the bond with his master was quiet, non existent even. He wasn't sure if what he felt was real. Maybe he has heard something? But no, the walls of their apartment were too thick to hear anything. He felt it again, but the second time it was even more awful. He knew that something was amiss. Obi-Wan was hurting, the bond screamed at him. Anakin felt dizzy, as if he was experiencing his own emotions, his own pain. He managed to reach the door leading to the corridor. He crept on toes towards his master’s bedroom. What if he was wounded? Was there someone trying to kill him? Anakin entered the room, it was pitch dark inside. Using the Force the padawan turned on a small lamp, next to the bed. To his relief, but also surprise, no one was attacking his master, in fact he was still asleep. He was clearly having a nightmare. The bed sheets were crumbled, some of them on the floor. Master Kenobi was covered in sweat, moving frantically as if trying to escape. Anakin didn't know what to do, how to help. At first he tried grabbing the man's arm and shaking him “Master, wake up, wake up”, when it didn't work, he tried something different. He used the Force to nudge him a bit, he focused on their bond to send him the same message “wake up”. Obi-Wan’s eyes flew open, as he grabbed on air and gasped for breath. Anakin didn't move, still holding his arm. “Anakin, what.. What are you doing here?” the young boy could see that the man was on a verge of tears. “It's okay master Kenobi, you're alright. I… I felt that something was wrong, you know through the bond, so I came here.” Obi-Wan was just looking at him, still in the grasp of the terrors in his head. Anakin knew that look, “It was just a nightmare, it wasn't real, I know, I'm having them too.” This sentence changed them, it was the first time Anakin confined in Obi-Wan. They shared a secret, for the jedi weren't supposed to have nightmares. If you aren't attached, nor are you scared, there shouldn't be anything to have nightmares about. Anakin wasn't very good with words, he didn't know how to comfort people, so he simply slipped into the bed. Obi-wan knew that he shouldn't allow that, but he was too tired to care about the fact that he wasn't supposed to let his apprentice stay. He just hugged Anakin, for the first time ever. And for the first time, the bond between them was a real thing, almost touchable. It felt right. Their hearts and breaths synchronized. They knew that it would be alright. This became their habit, they always knew when the other one was trapped in their dreams. Even if they were asleep, the disturbance sent through their bond, would wake them up. They would go to the other one’s room, wake him up. Sometimes they would talk, not particularly about what was wrong, but about their day, about a funny shop they saw earlier that day, about training, mundane subjects just to occupy their minds. Sometimes they didn't say anything at all. Rarely, one of them sobbed and cursed themselves for that. Despite what they and everyone around them thought, they were very similar, both of them hated showing weakness. Most of the times they tried to hug their worries away, just lie, clutched to each other and listen to another one’s steady breathing. The closeness helped. Somehow being next to each other, their Force signatures entangled, calmed both of them, kept the nightmares at bay. Soon Anakin became one of the most talented students in the temple. His gifts outweighed his shortcomings. Even though the boy was hot tempered, emotional and irresponsible, he was an incredible swordsman for his age, excellent pilot and a strategist (even if his plans were dangerous or almost suicidal). Other masters complemented Obi-Wan on his padawan’s achievements. Boy passed one trial after another, with seemingly no effort. Only his master knew how much work Anakin had to put into everything he has achieved. They spent long hours sparring and training, until Anakin was covered in bruises or too tired to stay. Master Kenobi also was doing much better, he still hasn't moved on, but maybe he never would. But he didn't blame himself anymore for his master’s fate. To his deepest shock (which he didn’t show, of course), he was appointed to be a member of the High Jedi Council, he was the youngest master out of all of them. The master and his talented padawan became an incredible tandem, synchronized in fight, a force to be reckoned with. Sometimes the council would worry about how attached they have become, nevertheless they knew that the two of them worked better together than apart.   
The habit of them sneaking into each other’s bed stopped when Anakin became a teenager. The padawan decided that he wasn't a child anymore, whereas the truth was more… complicated. Nevertheless they would always wake each other up from the nightmares, which were much less frequent but never truly stopped. They would calm each other down, but return to their own beds.There were some exceptions though. Some things were too terrifying to deal with them alone. 

After the battle with count Dooku, when Anakin lost his hand, he insisted that he was alright “This one is cooler, and much stronger see?” he waved the metal hand in front of Kenobi’s face. But that night Obi-Wan was woken up by pure agony. When he reached Anakin’s room half blinded with pain, he was prepared to fight some assailant, to see his apprentice fatally wounded. However he only found Anakin sobbing, arm pressed to his chest. The Force around him filled with pain. Obi-Wan didn't ask any questions, he just lied down next to the newly knighted Jedi, he took Anakin’s hands between his own and tried to ease his suffering with soft hushed words, that held no real meaning, but were soothing. With the Force, he tried to take some of Anakin’s pain away, but he wasn’t sure it it was effective in any way. “I… it hurts master… I can’t…” his voice was shaky. Obi-Wan would gladly take all his pain, he would suffer so Anakin wouldn’t have to. But of course that wasn’t an option. “I know, dear one, but it will stop. And I’ll be with you every step of the way.” He was brushing his curly hair, wiping away the tears until the ex-padawan fell into an uneasy sleep. Obi-Wan didn't leave, he stayed and watched Anakin breathe, until he also fell asleep. They didn't speak about it in the morning but Kenobi could tell that Anakin was grateful.

The other time was after their mission on Zygerria, when they went undercover to infiltrate the slave traders. Needless to say their plan went to hell almost as soon as it’s started. After they eventually rescued the enslaved Togruta, they weren’t even allowed to return to Coruscant and rest. The war was still raging on. They were immediately sent on another mission. Anakin was furious, he couldn't believe that the council forced them to stay on duty. He didn't care about himself, sure he was tired but that wasn't an excuse. But Obi-Wan was another story, he should be granted a medical leave. When Anakin saw his master he couldn't believe his eyes. He was sitting in their room, pretending to meditate, when Kenobi left the bathroom without his shirt on. Anakin almost gasped. It's not like he hasn't seen his master beaten up, after all his master had a talent to get himself into trouble.Still he couldn't forgive himself for not seeing this earlier. Obi-Wan was great at concealing his pain, all Jedi were, the Force worked better than most pain killers, but it had it’s limitations. Nevertheless Anakin felt he should have noticed. Obi-Wan’s whole chest was covered in bruises and cuts, Anakin could count his ribs (some of which were probably broken). Obi-Wan was usually quite slim, but now he looked half starved. Anakin felt so guilty, his master was treated like a slave and tortured, while he was playing a pet for the queen Miraj. He walked towards his ex-master as if in a trance. Anakin swore violently when he saw up close how injured Obi-Wan was. Kenobi’s naturally handsome face looked even worse than his body, covered in colourful bruises, his lip and brow cut. He looked as if he hadn't slept in days, his normally sharp cheeks were hollow. But the worst to look at were his grey eyes. Usually they looked like a storm, full of life. You could always tell when the older Jedi tried to mask his amusement, because his eyes were full of laughter and mischief. Now they were full only of sorrow and pain. Anakin was fully aware of the tears that stained his cheeks, but he didn't care. He placed his hand on Obi-wan’s chest, who winced at the sudden touch, Anakin traced the bruises lightly with his fingers. I failed you. I won't let those who did this to you get away. They were both silent, only their breaths stirred the quiet. The young Jedi finally placed his hand on Obi-Wan's face, cupping it lightly. That was a bold move, he was sure that Obi-Wan would shy away from his caress, but he didn't. Anakin wanted... wanted so many things, but right now his only motivation was to keep his master safe. “Come on old man, let's get you to bed, alright?” he tried to keep his tone light, but he couldn't stop weeping. Obi-Wan nodded, it was visible that even that tiny move was painful for him. Anakin was raging, but for his master's sake he was trying very hard to at least appear calm. He put his hand between Obi-Wan's shoulder blades, when he gasped in pain. That's when Anakin noticed very characteristic wounds on his back, they whipped him, his vision became blurry and tinted red. Before he could form a coherent thought, he put his fist through the metal wall. Thankfully it was the prosthetic one. Neither of them commented it. “I’m getting a medical droid” Anakin said through gritted teeth. “No, there is no need, I’m fine.” Kenobi’s voice was barely a whisper, “You… You’re fine? Are you kidding me?! You’re anything but fine!”, Anakin immediately regretted shouting. He took a trembling breath, “Obi-Wan you can fool everyone around you, but you won’t fool me. You keep forgetting that I know you better than anyone else. And if you don’t want me making a scene, at least let me patch up your back.”. The corner of Obi-wan’s lips twitched just a tiny bit, which made Anakin feel much calmer. “Alright then”. They both sat down on the bed cross legged, Anakin behind his master. He cautiously starter cleaning the deep wounds on Obi-wan’s back, who tensed and hissed at every touch. “Why did you put your shields up?”, Anakin finally asked the question that bugged him for a few hours now. The thing about mental shields was that every sentient being had them. Those with weak ones were easy to manipulate with the Force. You didn’t have to be Force sensitive to have strong defences, but only those who could use the Force were able to consciously shape their shields. The Jedi were carefully forming theirs their whole lives. Their shields were layered and almost impossible to get through, it was necessary. But you could let others in, it was the most profound gesture of trust, usually between the Jedi that were bound together. They could feel each other emotions, know when the other one was hurt, feel their pain, vaguely know where they were. Despite of what some people thought they couldn’t read each other’s mind, but it was close enough. There were different levels on which you could let someone in. It would be impossible to fight while feeling all of someone else’s pain, but they still knew if something went really wrong. Most of the time Anakin and Obi-Wan had some of their shields down for each other and all of them up for the outside world. Rarely, they would let the walls fall (just for each other), their Force signatures tangling together, it felt as if they were one, could speak without words. So Anakin’s question wasn’t about why Obi-Wan’s shields were up, they always were. In reality he was asking why was he keeping Anakin out. “I didn’t want to cause you pain”, “I know that master… but not knowing if you’re safe… it’s just much more painful.”, Anakin always hated it when he couldn’t tell if Obi-Wan was unharmed. Of course, even with all of his master’s shielding up, he could tell that he was alive, but it just wasn’t enough. Anakin finished putting bacta patches on Kenobi’s back, when he felt a sudden flash of pain. It was gone as soon as it’s started, but now he could distinctly feel Obi-Wan’s presence in the Force. “Thank you”. Anakin’s discovered that he could breathe with ease now, that that Obi-Wan has let him into his mind again. He helped his master lie down on his side. “Anakin, could you… please, just..” “I'm not going anywhere, I promise”, he placed himself as gently as possible next to Obi-Wan, so they were facing each other. Their bodies were only a few centimeters away, so close that their breaths mingled, so close that they could kiss if they wished to do so. But the only thing Anakin could think about was what have they done to you, why didn't you protect yourself, why wasn't I there to shield you from this. Only then, hours and hours after they returned from that forsaken mission Obi-Wan finally cried, silently, tears were rolling down his face. Anakin moved even closer towards him, so he felt hot tears fall on the crease between his neck and shoulder. Anakin’s face was hidden in Obi-wan’s hair. He was breathing in deeply just to feel the characteristic scent of his master, it smelt like home, like security and serenity. But now his master, his best friend and well… love, was trembling in his arms. Anakin used their bond to send him the feeling of calmness, he send the sound of fountains in the temple, the scent of tea from Obi-Wan’s favourite tea shop and the taste of his favourite cake (which, he once mentioned, reminded him of home), he send the feeling of peacefulness he felt when they sparred, the certainty he felt when they fought side by side, the rare yet joyous moments of happiness and bliss. He didn’t mean to send him the feeling of his skin brushing against his own, or the way Obi-Wan’s breath felt on his skin when he whispered to Anakin. Still, he could feel Obi-Wan calm in his arms, his heart slowing down, beating in a steady rhythm. “Talk to me, Obi-Wan, please tell me how to help you, i cannot bear to… “ he couldn't finish the sentence. Anakin increased the distance between them so they could see each other, but he couldn’t force himself to break their touch. So he took Obi-Wan’s hand and laced their fingers together. Obi-Wan looked at Anakin “They… they knew that they couldn’t break me, not with tortures, not that it stopped them from trying as you can see” he smirked, but he looked so sorrowful, that it broke Anakin’s heart even further. “But they knew how to get to me” he took a shaky breath “They hurt others Anakin, they realised that to hurt me, to make me obey, they only had to... “ He fell silent for a while. Anakin was crying, not letting go of their joined hands. “I couldn’t help them, I tried to… but I ended up doing more harm.” Obi-Wan whispered, almost inaudibly. He fell asleep at 5 a.m. according to the standardised galactic time. An hour later Anakin turned off Obi-Wan’s communication pad, left his bedroom, and ordered the nearest trooper not to let anyone in. “Unless the ship is exploding, no one is to enter.”. When Anakin entered the command centre it was almost completely empty, which was convenient, as he was ready to beg the Council to let his master rest. That was one of their hardest nights. It left both of them scarred, but it made them stronger, individually and together. 

Sometimes they simply had no choice but to share a bed, they were fighting a war after all. There were many times, when they only had a tiny room or a tent to share. Of course they could potentially, take turns sleeping in the bed, but where was the fun in that? Both of them would complain, Anakin would whine as he does quite often, but neither of them really minded sleeping next to each other. They felt much safer that way. And if they woke up cuddled, with their limbs entangled no one had to know.

Both of them hated sleeping on the ground, when they had to camp, with only their sleeping bags, the two Jedi were truly miserable. They felt too exposed, even though there were always some troopes on the watch, they didn’t feel safe sleeping outside. They would always lie close to each other, talking to late hours about strategy and plans for the next day. It was also much harder to pretend that they didn’t clutch to each other in their sleep, when they slept surrounded by their troopers. Obi-Wan commented it once, saying that it was natural for a sleeping organism to seek a source of heat. He shut up when Cody, made a muttered observation that the camp fire was a source of heat, not general Skywalker.

Everyone was quite used to the two Jedi sharing their chambers.


End file.
